


How to not take a decision and still get what you want

by Crepuscolaria



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Cute, Dorks in Love, M/M, Post-Promised Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25386451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crepuscolaria/pseuds/Crepuscolaria
Summary: Roy decides to not act on his feelings. Until the choice is taken from him.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 16
Kudos: 138





	How to not take a decision and still get what you want

When Roy receives the phone call he is...surprised.  
He knows the brothers are travelling, each on his way, and sometimes news of their accomplishments reach Central, but they never call.  
Well...one of them never initiates any contact.  
The other writes letters. To the team and to Gracia and Elicia.  
Al has always been the sensible one.

So when Roy picks up the phone in his office with a dull and standard “Mustang” he doesn’t expect the “Hey Bastard!” on the other side.

He actually doesn’t expect anything that is said afterwards.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The team is absolutely ecstatic, and this is not a surprise (God only knows Roy is surprised enough for the day).  
Riza looks at him funny more than once, trying to gauge his thoughts on the matter.  
Breda just smirks saying something that sounds suspiciously like “It was starting to be boring around here” (Roy should be offended really).  
Havoc doesn’t shut up for a moment, even after Riza points her deadly glare at him.  
Fuery...well, Fuery smiles happily at the news and then goes back to work, cause he is the only good and sane person in the room.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night before, Roy is at home, staring into the darkness of his room.  
Sleep is evading him and thoughts run in circles in his head.  
He has stopped lying to himself a long time ago, so he is fully aware that the churning in his stomach is caused by a mixture of nerves, alcohol and anticipation.  
And that last one is what bothers him the most.  
It has been four years since the Promised Day. He guesses curiosity is just inevitable at this point.  
He could not see the Elrics after the battle.  
He has seen photographs of Al, because the boy sent them along with his letters.  
But he hasn’t seen Edward.  
Has he finally grown taller? Has he cut his hair?  
What kind of man has he become?  
Because, God...Roy can’t escape the thought that Edward is not a kid anymore.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s 9 o’clock when the commotion starts.  
Chairs scraping hastily on the floor, cheers, clapping…  
He steels himself and gets up from behind his desk, rounding it to reach the door and go outside, where he knows he’ll find absolute chaos.  
At first, he doesn’t see him.  
There’s a mass of limbs covered in blue at the center of the outer office.  
The men are talking at the same time, hugging all together around someone.  
“You’re back Chief!”, “Welcome back Major!”, “So good to see you”.

“Geez guys, i can’t breathe! Are you happy to see me or are you trying to kill me?”

There he is, taller, broader, older.  
Smiling with his sharp jaw, an uniform he has always refused to put on, his hair defiantly long, pulled back in a ponytail.

“Hey, Brigadier-General, uh?”

And the brat honest to God salutes.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roy is doomed.  
The little bud of affection he has kept hidden for years has seen the light of the sun and is blooming.  
It’s torture.  
Ed is back in the military, under his command, and he is finally sticking to the rules...well at least some of them.  
Roy misses the red coat badly.  
He is sure the uniform was not designed to flatter anyone’s figure. And yet, it highlights Edward’s broad shoulders and narrow hips beautifully.

The young man comes and goes from his office without breaking down the door but actually knocking on it before entering.  
He salutes (even though he still calls him Bastard), he brings in reports when he requests them.  
And in the meanwhile he doesn’t launch himself on the couch like he used to do. No. Instead he stands proudly in front of his desk, with a quiet confidence that makes him glow.  
Roy often finds difficult to dismiss him, to deprive himself of the bright view.  
But when he does dismiss Edward, he can’t help following his every step, trying with all his might to not let his eyes go downwards to the ass that the blond ponytail keeps brushing.

It would be easier if it was just a bad case of lust.  
Roy knows how to deal with that. But the thought of finding a partner, even if for one night only, makes him feel miserable.

He can’t help thinking about those mornings when Ed comes early to the office with coffee.  
“Macchiato with almond milk, two sugar” he recites every time. Because apparently he knows that Roy prefers the first coffee of the day to be light and sweet, while he takes the rest of his numerous daily coffees black.

Or how he would find a random sticky note (yellow, they are always yellow) on some of the reports the blonde turns in. His favourite is the one that says “Skip the bureaucratic bullshit, go to page 5 to read how i kicked the bad-guy’s ass, it’s more fun”.  
He actually waits for the little messages like a starved man.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riza corners him at the counter of the pub on a Friday night.  
He is not surprised. Edward has been back for almost six months now and Hawkeye knows him better than anyone.

“So, are you going to do something about it?”

She is direct and sharp like a gunshot. No “Sir”, or “Permission to speak freely”.  
They’re not at work and she is not his subordinate right now.  
She is silently saying “don’t even think about dismissing me, you’re gonna spill the beans, like it or not”  
He knows her just as well as she knows him and he respects her too much to lie or fake innocence.

“No, i don’t think it would be a good idea.”

He admits, while they wait for the barman to bring over the pints he promised to the team, laughing at a table on the other side of the pub.  
He is aware his voice sounds more resigned than he’d prefer, but he can’t help it.  
Edward coming back doesn’t mean he gets to complicate the young man’s life again.  
He has all the rights to enjoy his hard earned freedom, to build a career if he so wishes, to make all the experiences that were stolen from him when the burden of a damaged brother and a sick world was placed on his shoulders.  
Riza stares at him, undoubtedly reading his thoughts on his face.

“Shouldn’t you let him make the decision for himself?”

He turns to look at the table.  
Havoc and Breda are in a fight over something and Ed is laughing so hard he has tears at the corner of his eyes.  
He is so vibrant and beautiful.  
Roy feels his heart squeeze in his chest.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the end it all goes south in an unexpected manner.  
It starts as an ordinary morning.  
Ed is early and he comes in bringing his coffee.  
He has dark circles around his golden eyes and Roy can’t help but worry.

“Something keeping you up at night, Fullmetal?”

He smirks, using an airy tone that he hopes will piss off the younger man, in order to distract him from whatever is troubling him.  
Judging by the scowl on Edward’s face he thinks he is successful.  
But the answer freezes the blood in his veins.

“More like someone…”

Ed looks tense, his fingers spasm around his cup of coffee.  
Roy is no stranger to jealousy, but he never felt it so acutely before.  
He grabs a pen, twirling it in his fingers, grateful for the distraction. It would not be a smart move if he ended up incinerating the desk separating them.  
There’s a screaming monster inside him that demands to know exactly what is the meaning of those words.  
He manages to rein it in, barely, and just emphasizes his smirk, with a tilt of his head.

“A lover, Fullmetal?”

He gets up, rounding the desk so the annoying piece of furniture isn’t between them, before taking an ostentatious sip of his coffee, eyebrows arched to convey his curiosity.

“Not really…”

The major answers gritting his teeth, a light pink dusting his cheeks.  
Roy would like nothing more than to meet the person that keeps the man awake at night and throttle him or her, because how dare they? (He is actually grateful, tough.)

“And why is it…?”

He prods, putting the coffee on his desk, before leaning on it himself.  
Ed’s face looks suddenly tired. Then hesitant (how uncharacteristic). Then furious.

“Because he is a conceited Bastard, with his head stuck so deep in his ass he doesn’t know how to take a hint if it smacked him right on the head!”

The man advances on him during his tirade and Roy is dumbstruck.  
Until he is just struck by a cuff on the head.

“That was a hint, did you feel it, idiot? Or are you planning to look at my ass until it gets out of shape with old age?”

Roy opens his mouth trying to articulate an answer but he is stunned and ends up doing a perfect impression of a fish.

“Oh my God!” Ed brings his arms to the sky, clearly exasperated and so so red in the face. “You are hopeless!”

And then his hands are on Roy’s ears and he is aggressively leaning in for a kiss.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You know…” Roy says later, taking a breath after making out for what felt like hours. “I wouldn’t mind actually to keep staring at you ass until it gets old and wrinkly…”  
He gets smacked on the shoulder for his effort.

“Smarmy Bastard…”

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my mother tongue so if anyone spots mistakes please let me know!  
> I hope this little one shot was as enjoyable for somebody as it was for me writing it <3


End file.
